Favorite Apps

I am probably not the most technological savvy person so I have to chuckle to think I am recommending apps to you! However, I do have a few that I use and love. You may already be familiar with them, but if not, here they are:

Waterlogue This app takes any photo and turns it into a watercolor.

You also have the option to do your photo in black and whiteI took this photograph of my daughter, Elisabeth while she was walking in the rain this summer in the mountains.Here’s a Waterlogue image of our rental cabin in Pinetop, in the White Mountains of Arizona. I took the watercolor image and had note cards made which I use as thank you notes for our guests.My next favorite is 1 Second Everyday. I learned about this from Elisabeth, who had a school project using this app. This app allows you to record something for one second every day. So I decided to record the things that I love or those things that make me happy. It’s a video library and there are so many ways you can use it.

1 Second Everyday App

Here is the link to my 1 Second Everyday video.

Next, I have a love/hate relationship with this app. Lose It! app helps with monitoring all your food/nutritional intake plus their website is filled with workouts, recipes and guides to help you lose weight, eat a balanced diet, and get support throughout the process. A dear friend of mine recently lost 40 lbs. and attributes it to this app. We will definitely be using Lose It! after the holidays!

Lastly, my favorite one is Headspace. I have never been one who meditates, but I must say, that this app is really spectacular. The voice behind Headspace is Andy Puddicome and I honestly admit that I’m in love with this man’s voice. It is velvet, warm butter, a soft blanket all rolled into one. The minute I hear it, I instantly relax. As the New York Times says, “Andy Puddicombe is doing for meditation what Jamie Oliver has done for food”. The first 10 sessions are free and then if you are hooked, you can subscribe. I wish I did this more, but I must say that when I turn his voice on in my head, something wonderful kicks in…

Do you have a favorite app? Please share!

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Holiday Home Tour

Welcome to our first Holiday Home Tour at Bella Terra! This house was made for holiday decorations. Having a red front door already sets the Chrismas mood!

At the front entry, my husband put up the lighted trees that are situated on both side of the front door. This year’s wreath is a simple one and the plaid ribbon is used throughout the house. I added magnolia leaves and different greens for texture. Plaid ribbon from Costco.

I kept the entry classic with garland up the staircase, beveled fleur-de-lis mirrors on the steps, and I changed out the painting near the petticoat table with a Christmas themed one.

The “teddy bear” tree used to be upstairs outside the children’s bedrooms, however, I thought it would be fun to put it in the corner of the entry as it is scaled appropriately.

In the dining room, the deep mantle over the fireplace is the perfect place for our snow globe collection. Every year, each child gets a snow globe and an ornament until they turn 21. So if you do the math, my son is 21, my daughter is 19 and my youngest is 15. My husband keeps saying, “Enough with the snow globes!!!”. I only put out 20 of them this year but I love how magical they look with the lights under the snow.

The living room mantle is deep like the dining room, and I added garland, white lights, large balls and plaid ribbon. Here’s a “before the tree” picture.

The tree is a real evergreen and my back is still aching from putting on the numerous strings of lights. But the fresh tree smells so good!

When the children were 2 years old, we had a local artist, Virginia Cook, capture their childhood moments in an oil painting. Beneath the paintings, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care…..

For those of you who have been in my kitchen, it never looks this clean!!! Thanks to the magic of photography, all the piles are cropped out! Typically I decorate all the windows, but due to lack of time and energy, the decorations are limited to the pastry rack and around the stove.

Years ago, I decided to hang holiday art and take our regular paintings down during the holidays. Simple posters were framed and then each painted with brushstrokes of gel matte medium (found in an artist supply store) to look like original paintings. Here’s one with Santa cooking in the kitchen!

Between the dining room and kitchen, is the breakfast room. Nutcrackers we’ve collected from our travels are displayed here.

The most lived-in room at Bella Terra is the family room. Since our pets freely roam this room, I decorate with non-breakable holiday pillows and wreaths. For more on this room, see a previous post.

The back porch, with the outdoor heaters, is the place we entertain during the winter months. A vintage tablecloth adds color to the dining area.

The guest cottage gets a simple lighted wreath, as the cottage colors are already festive.

My husband hangs the wreath on the well tower each year. It, too, is lighted and has a festive glow at night. My dog, Cooper, who is huge, looks so diminutive in this picture…

I’m still learning so much about taking photos. Many thanks to professional photographer, Adam Peter , for taking most of the pictures above.

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoyed a bit of the holiday here at Bella Terra!

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A Winter Salad Favorite (and The Store is Officially Open!)

It’s been such a learning curve to understand the concept of selling online. However, we are HOPING that all the bugs have been worked out and that shopping on our site will be easy and fun. Nearly all of the items are one-of-a-kind so if you love it, purchase it quickly! To start shopping, please go to the Store tab at the top of the Life at Bella Terra website. If you have ANY problems or questions, please contact us immediately. To see the original story of 2 Connecticut Yankees, click here.

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Here is one of my favorite winter salad recipes (by Pinch of Yum). Pomegranates grow well here in Phoenix and they are the perfect addition to any dish this time of year because of the vibrant, red color of the juicy, gem-like seeds. Some stores offer the seeds already extracted from the fruit. If you purchase them this way, make sure they are fresh. I like getting the fruit and taking the seeds out myself. If you extract the seeds over a bowl of water, the seeds will sink to the bottom and the paper-like inner fruit membrane will float. Just skim that off and drain the seeds!

The ingredients include: kale, walnuts, feta cheese, wild rice and pomegranates.

I like Uncle Ben’s Ready Whole Grain Medley which is a combination of brown and wild rice. It’s pre-cooked and ready to use after 90 seconds in the microwave. Easy peasy. Though the recipe calls for baby kale, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen baby kale available here. I used regular kale and combined the green and red leafy kale for color. The different textures and colors of the ingredients allow for a beautiful display before tossing.

The dressing is a subtle combination of shallots, honey, olive oil and vinegar. The only labor is the chopping of the shallots. The rest of the ingredients are easily combined in a blender or food processor.

This salad would also be perfect with a piece of grilled salmon or chicken on top. The wild rice makes this a heartier salad that would stand up well with a protein addition. Isn’t this a pretty and festive salad?

We served this last night at an event at our home, along with my turkey chili and cornbread (doctored up with kernels of corn, cheese and diced green chiles). It was the perfect simple, cozy meal for friends. I’m all about easy and simple this time of year!

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Spooners

This is such a great time of year to pull out the stops on holiday entertaining and decorating. I love using spooners in different ways. So what is a spooner?

A popular collectible today, the spooner or spoonholder, provided as much symbolic value as function for Victorian society. The prominently displayed spoons were a clear sign of ready hospitality, as well as a status symbol for the increased affluence among the expanding middle class who could now afford silver spoons, or at least a good facsimile. Spooners are narrower and more cylindrical than sugar bottoms or open sugars – perfect for holding flatware (they don’t tip over).

Along with the majority of other Victorian conventions, interest in spoonholders had almost vanished by the 1930s. They are fun to find and collect. Spooners come in a variety of designs and colors. Some spooners are ornate, and others are simple. This one has simple lines with a footed stem and a scalloped rim.

Here is another with much more details in the glass and the unique handles.

This spooner is beautifully etched with a wheat and barley pattern. The lovely details are also on the handles.

What I love about spooners is that generally no two are alike. They can be useful in so many different ways and lend an elegance to any display or table.

If you are considering collecting spooners, it’s important to differentiate spooners from open sugars, sugar bottoms, goblets and tumblers. Spooners usually range in height from 4″ for those with a flat base to 6″ for those with stems.

We will have a few spooners for sale on our online store. They are an affordable way to return to a graciousness of the life nearly a century ago.

Happy Saturday!

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Creating a Centerpiece with Ordinary Things

It is very easy to get into the habit of doing the same thing over and over again-especially when something is tried and true. At the holidays, I attempt to switch things up a bit and create new ideas out of common things. As Susan and I were getting more treasures out of the barn, we came across several pieces of milk glass and decided to create a simple holiday arrangement/centerpiece.

We started with a tray. This wooden tray was in the mud room, filled with papers that I hadn’t gone through in quite some time. After wiping off the dust, we were had our base piece. Any tray that you have laying around will do.

Next we chose this dish towel as it is a nice holiday red color. I like the texture and pattern, but again, any towel, napkin or piece of fabric of your choosing will do. Placing it at an angle creates interest. Probably should have ironed it, but once it is covered, who will know?

Next we added a combination of artificial greens and some fresh clippings from the yard. Getting different textures and shades of green was the objective.

We also added some ornaments. We found these large glass orbs on one of our shopping trips and I love the vibrant color. Any ornament will do. Next we took a few pieces of the milk glass and filled them with white roses and red berries. Using different container shapes adds multiple heights. The all-white color theme gives it consistency. You could use coffee cups, glasses, any container ready to hold water and flowers. Also, the rule of thumb is to have an odd number of pieces-not sure who’s rule it is, but it seems to work!

Lastly, we added a taper candle in a milk glass holder for height and dimension. This was a simple, easy and yet festive arrangement that would look great on any table. The milk glass containers will be available soon on our online store. Please let me know what everyday items you use for centerpieces! Happy creating!

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